|
|
 | |
|
 |
 |
WW Z Harness History by Gene Atkins |
|
|
|
|
|
The original Z-1 harness was made with rigid full length poles. It was comfortable
and clean but primarily made for comp pilots as it lacked almost any rock-up
capability. This is the harness that Larry Tudor used when setting his world
record flights. This harness is no longer available and manufacture was discontinued
when WW began distributing Rotor harnesses.
The Z2 harness was a line supported, semi-front entry harness, but lacked
any spreader bars for lateral comfort. You had to slip it over your head
to get into it, but it allowed for your legs to exit out the bottom zipper.
The Z3 harness was a full front-entry harness with a standard front mounted
chute. It was line supported with two fairly small spreader bars; one at
the mains, and another behind your knees where the front to rear line entered
the harness. It had a small internal storage container behind the pilots
legs and two small side pockets. There was also an additional pocket built
into the bottom of the chute container.
The Z4 harness further improved on the Z3 by adding an additional spreader
bar above the pilot's shoulders. The cut of the harness was changed to allow
for wider bars and improved lateral comfort. The pockets were enlarged relative
the Z3 and a flip-removable radio pouch was added above the chute container.
The back storage was increased substantially and allowed for a dorsal expansion/humpback
depending on how the rear zippers were configured. This also allowed for
access to the rear storage area from either inside or outside the harness.
The Z5 includes even more refinements to the cut of the harness for comfort
and aerodynamics, and the wider spreader bars are made differently (using
bolts rather than rivets) for increased strength and easier servicing of
the harness. The side pockets are made far larger and can be collapsed
down when not in use via compression straps. There is also an option for
a DHV-certified side-mount chute container version. This harness is the
first WW harness to have fully digitized patterns and is cut on the same
sail cutting machine used to cut all the WW HG glider sails. The Z5 also
features several improvements to make it easier to rock up in than any previous
Z-harness.
WW has maintained a database of the all the harnesses made since the Z3
so if you require specific custom sizing info on a used harness you can request
it. You just need to provide a serial number which is usually on the spreader
bar. If no serial is available they still may be able to track it if you
determine the original dealer/customer and any color info.
|
|